Intel today announced the availability of Pentium 4 Extreme Edition and Pentium 4 processors featuring the company's EMT64 64-bit extensions. With the imprint of competitor AMD's x86-64 64-bit Athlon 64 processors continuing to grow--both in the industry and in the mind of the consumer--the move was not unexpected.

AMD first released its 64-bit desktop processors in 2003. At the time, Intel said it had no plans to enter the 64-bit desktop arena. However, Intel did release EMT64-enabled Xeon processors last October.

PC World's First Look
PC World put one of the new processors to the test, benchmarking a 3.6-GHz EMT64 Pentium 4 while running both the 32-bit version of Windows XP Professional and Release Candidate 2 of the 64-bit Windows XP Professional X64 Edition.

For competition's sake, we also put an Athlon 64 3800+ processor through the rigors of our WorldBench 5 Benchmark suite. This slightly higher rated 2.4-GHz Athlon 64 bested the P4 in WorldBench tests in normal 32-bit Windows XP Professional by three points, but on Windows XP Professional X64, the Intel chip closed the gap considerably.

To be fair, only about two-thirds of our PC WorldBench apps would run on XP Pro X64, so it's impossible to predict what the final total would have been. However, everything else being equal, we're convinced you'll lose nothing with Intel's brand of 64-bit extensions.

The best news is something that Intel has largely avoided talking about but that our tests corroborate--EMT64 is compatible with x86-64. AMD or Intel, it's all the same: Either brand of 64-bit extended CPU will run the upcoming 64-bit Windows operating system.

According to Brian Marr, Microsoft's Senior Product Manager for Windows, "Windows XP Professional X64 Edition is compatible with all processors that have added 64-bit extensions to the industry-standard x86 instruction set, including AMD Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with EM64T, and Intel Pentium with EM64T."

The bad news is that word "upcoming." Until XP Pro X64 ships, most users--apart from the Linux community, whose members can leverage these 64-bit CPUs now--won't derive any 64-bit benefits.

Even when Microsoft's X64 OS ships, only applications that are optimized and recompiled to utilize the new instructions and registers will deliver a marked improvement. The primary benefit of 64-bit computing isn't speed, it's larger databases, more directly addressable memory, finer resolution for audio, video, and games, and so forth.

Monday, February 21, 2005

ORLANDO--A dizzying array of camera models are on display at the PMA 2005 show here. But standing out from the mix of the powerful--such as Canon's EOS Digital Double XT consumer SLR--and the penny-pinching--Concord's $80 3-megapixel starter 3047--are compact, point-and-shoot digicams cameras that pack at least 7 megapixels of image resolution.

These aren't the first models of the type--for example, the Olympus C-7000 Zoom and Pentax's Optio 750Z have been around for awhile. But most of the new cameras are more truly pocketable, making them easier to take anywhere. And with suggested retail prices as low as $360, they are mainstream products that will appeal to buyers who would have opted for a 5-megapixel model until now.

Lower-resolution cameras still deliver sufficient resolution for attractive prints, even at sizes of 8 by 10 inches and larger. But if you're a serious shutterbug, 7 megapixels provide more control over your photographic results, since you can crop shots more extensively without compromising image quality.

Here are some highlights of new models being shown at PMA 2005, the Photo Marketing Association International event. All of these cameras are scheduled to become available in March, except for Casio's Exilim Pro EX-P700 and the Samsung V70 and V700, which are available now; and Nikon's 7900, which the company says will ship in April.

Camera Parade
Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital Elph:
At $500, the 7.1-megapixel Elph is the priciest of these new cameras. But it also makes the most striking first impression. It's not as svelte as some Elphs (including the SD400, a new 5-megapixel model), but it's still amazingly sleek for a 7-megapixel model. Like other Elphs, it's got an elegant metal case, and Canon has given the SD500 somewhat curvier styling than previous models. Its new features include a clever option that automatically rouses the camera from sleep mode when you pick it up. The SD500 has a 3X optical zoom and a 2-inch LCD (two features it shares with most of the other new 7-megapixel models).

Casio Exilim EX-Z750:
The $450 EX-Z750 looks a lot like other Exilim "Zoom" models--which means it's extremely thin and eminently pocketable. It ups the ante on most of the models here in two ways: Its 7.2-megapixel resolution is a bit higher than most, and the camera has an oversized 2.5-inch LCD rather than a more typical 2-inch display. It also comes with a docking station for easy recharging and TV output. Casio also introduced another7.2-megapixel model, the Exilim Pro EX-P700. At $549, it's the costliest camera here, but it's also the only one with a 4X optical zoom.

Nikon Coolpix 7600 and 7900:
Nikon introduced two 7.1-megapixel models, both of them in the company's familiar compact form factor with a prominent grip so you can easily grasp the camera. The $380 7600 has Nikon's red-eye fixing technology, as well as D-Lighting (which aims to correct pictures in which backlighting results in underexposed subjects) and the aptly-named Blur Warning. The $450 7900 has a more upscale metal case and some additional features, including one that identifies faces as you're framing a shot and then locks in on them, so they stay in focus even if the subject bobs and weaves before you take the picture.

Samsung Digimax A7, V70, and V700:
Samsung still isn't one of the first companies that come to mind when you think of digital cameras, but it's a major presence at this year's PMA, and it's demonstrating no fewer than three competitively-priced seven-megapixel models. The A7 is the entry level model; it's not particularly svelte, but at $360, it's the least expensive model here. The $400 V70 ups the ante with an aluminum case and the only LCD here that swivels out from the case. And the $410 V700 has a smaller, swoopier case design and comes in three evocatively-named colors: noble wine, indigo blue, and milk silver.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7:
This new model in Sony's W line is a higher-end cousin to the DSC-W1, a top performer in PC World's reviews of point-and-shoot cameras. The $450, brick-shaped DSC-W7 is a bit chunkier than some of the new models; it looks like a thicker version of Casio's Exilim and shares some features, including 7.2-megapixel resolution and a big 2.5-inch LCD. As with other Cyber-shot models, Sony boasts of fast response times; the vendor says the DSC-W7 can take full-resolution pictures at just over one-second intervals.

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